


Viva La Vida

by harrythepotter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 02:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12159627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrythepotter/pseuds/harrythepotter
Summary: AFTER THE WAR, nobody was the same. hogwarts had to be rebuilt, and after being paired up together for some of the tasks, harry potter and draco malfoy find themselves becoming the most unlikeliest of friends.FAST FORWARD a month or two, and students are returning to hogwarts to redo their last year. harry and draco are as thick as thieves, and even their friends are becoming slightly accepting of each other. but, there's one thing they didn't see coming.FALLING IN LOVE.





	Viva La Vida

**_THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER SUN_**  beat down upon Draco Malfoy's back, sweat collecting easily on his forehead. He lifted the back of his hand to wipe at his flushed skin, then focused his attention back on the task at hand. He was very lucky indeed to have escaped his sentence in Azkaban, being let off with a sworn oath to attend Hogwarts for a redo of his final year, and to help rebuild the castle in the months beforehand. June had just come upon them, so the weather was absolutely sweltering at this time of year. Of course, he could always just use a quick Cooling Charm, but he firmly told himself that he had to learn how to live without those sort of things.

Currently, Draco's efforts were being put to work on moving rubble away from some of the castle entrances, and just cleaning it up in general. But on some of the heavier pieces, a single Levitation Charm just wasn't doing the trick. He watched as, again, the piece of rock trembled slightly in midair before crashing back down to Earth. A frustrated sigh escaped his lips, and he leaned against the rock to catch his breath. Maybe the problem was that he wasn't concentrating hard enough.

"Hey, stranger."

The familiar-sounding voice made him tense, and he slowly turned to see who had happened upon him. Most people had been avoiding him like the plague, with averted eyes and hushed whispers between them. But no, of course Harry  _bloody_ Potter had to be the one exception. His cheeks were flushed a pleasant pinkish color, so he must've not been outside in the sun for all that long. His hair was still a wreck, but that was to be expected. Draco nearly found himself drowning in those green eyes, and of course Potter wore that sunbeam smile of his. Draco was momentarily blinded, but he quickly shook himself out of it.

"Potter." he said, though his usual sneer didn't accompany it. The old Draco Malfoy seemed to fade into the background, and even though his lips twitched for a moment, he couldn't manage it. "Can I help you with something? I'm in the middle of community service."

A laugh bubbled from Potter's chest, and Draco couldn't understand why he was  _laughing,_  of all things. He certainly hadn't said, nor done, anything funny, so therefore, Potter had to be cracked in the head. Yes, that had to be it. And no, Draco certainly  _wasn't_ enjoying the sound of the other boy's laughter. 

"I never thought I'd see you doing such hard work, Malfoy. Are you sure you aren't feverish?" Potter said with a teasing smile, then shook his head. "That's exactly why I came over, actually. McGonagall thought you could use an extra hand with some of the bigger chunks. I'm sure if we work together, we can do it."

" _Help?_ I don't need your  _help,_  Potter. I can do this all by myself." Draco spat, removing his wand from the back pocket of his trousers. "See?  _Wingardium Leviosa!"_

Draco poured all of his concentration into the spell, so determined to outshine Potter and prove that he certainly didn't need any help. But the rubble budged as much as it had before, and Potter merely gave him a knowing smirk before stepping forward with his own wand.

"Yes, Malfoy, and I'm the bloody Queen of England." he said. "Now, c'mon, let's try it together this time. Two spells are more powerful than one."

 _Since when had there been a queen?,_ Draco briefly wondered, before shaking himself from it and glowering over at Potter as he raised his wand. But as they both shouted the incantation, the large rock of rubble moved out of the way with ease, and floated over to the pile that they'd all been forming as a collective group.

"See? Nothing to it." Potter grinned, before turning his sunbeam smile on Draco again. "It's lunchbreak, I think. At least we'll both get a break from the sun."

 _At least I'll get a break from your stupid face,_  Draco wanted to retort. He hadn't even been around Potter for five minutes, and already, he wanted to get far away from him. He set off toward the castle at a quick pace, hoping to leave Potter in the dust. If he had to spend another  _minute_  in that stupid prat's presence, he'd surely combust.

Draco grabbed a few finger sandwiches and a bottle of Gillywater from the Great Hall once he got there, then went off to seek out his usual spot in one of the corridors. He didn't like eating with everyone else, as they kept giving him questioning looks. He knew what they were all thinking.

_Why are you even back here, you Death Eater scum?_

He knew he'd get to see his Slytherin friends again in a few months, when the new school year came 'round, but they'd all been wise to stay away from the rebuilding effort. For now, he ate alone, and that suited him just fine. 

The corridor was empty, as always, and Draco settled against the wall with his small tray of food, uncapping the water and downing about half of it at once. He was exceptionally thirsty as a cause of the summer heat, and it was good to replenish his sweat. But echoing footsteps brought his attention back to the present, and he let out an audible groan as he saw who they belonged to.

"It was rude to leave me behind like that. Here I thought we were going to walk to lunch together." Potter said, his legs folding underneath him as he sat down beside Draco. "But, it's alright. You probably think I've gone a bit mental, don't you? But, here's my question for you: why don't you eat in the Great Hall with everyone else?"

"Nobody likes me around here, Potter." Draco said with a sneer. "They don't want a traitor among them. Where's the rest of your friends,  _Potter?_ I thought they'd be here helping the cleanup, like the bloody Gryffindors they are."

"Oh! You mean Ron and Hermione." Potter looked thoughtful for a moment. "They've both gone off to Australia, to restore Hermione's parents' memories. They'll be back in time for the new school year, though. Are you gonna come back in September?"

"I'm required to, as part of my sentence. It was either that or Azkaban, and Azkaban's a horrid place." Draco said quietly, picking at his sandwich. "I've just gotta watch my back this year, I s'pose. Now, I've got a question for you. Why are you eating with me, instead of the others in the Great Hall? You're certainly not despised by anyone."

Potter shrugged. "Look, Malfoy, I don't hate you. We were all just kids during the war, y'know? We're pretty much adults now, so . . . I thought we should put it all behind us."

Draco gave him an incredulous stare, his eyes wide as his fingers stilled from where they were picking apart the bread of his sandwich.

"You- I-  _what?"_  he choked out, unable to form a coherent sentence. "You want to start  _fresh,_ Potter? I . . . that's . . . I really don't know what to say."

"Then act." Potter was sticking his hand out towards Draco. "I'd really like to try getting along wit you, Malfoy. Maybe even become friends. All you have to do is shake my hand. I mean, I know it's a bit ironic, considering what happened between us the last time that- I should really stop talking."

"You should." Draco said dryly, eyeing Potter's hand. 

First year quickly flashed into his mind, and they were both so young. But seventeen year old Potter was sitting in front of him with  _his_  hand out, wanting to become _Draco's_  friend.  _What a twist._  He had every right mind to say no. After all, it'd be just what Potter deserved. But some strange force possessed him to grip Potter's hand in a firm shake, staring him down.

"Fine. But no funny business, alright? I'm trusting you completely." he said slowly.

"Will do!" Potter said cheerfully. "Thanks for accepting my offer,  _Draco."_

Something about the way that Draco's name rolled off of Pot-  _Harry's_  lips made his heart give a small flutter, and he felt a bit dazed. But certainly not dazed enough to not notice Harry swiping his bottle of Gillywater and attempting to down the rest.

_"Hey!"_

And that's how a new friendship began.


End file.
